Using your business Card as Advertisment

**Home-Flip.com** · 07-03-2008, 04:34 PM

I know I am not the only person looking for cheap and easy ways to advertise so I thought would share this with you.

First, I will give you some insight as to what I do for a living. I am a Junior Accountant for a Telecommunications Company. Everyday I process the customer payments; pay all of the company bills and audit/dispute all of the network bills from companies like Bellsouth, Sprint, MCI, Etc.

A couple months ago I was processing the customer payments and I came across a regular payment from a Realtor. Not only did this Realtor include the invoice and the check, but they also included their business card. It was a really nice business card that had a picture of the Realtors, the company's logo, website, phone numbers and even their E-mail address. Every month since, I have received a business card with their payment.

I once read that as a business owner you should leave your business card everywhere you go. For instance, if you eat out at a restaurant leave it with the bill, when you go to the bank leave a couple at the tellers window or even in the drive through lanes (a little tape can help with this one). I never thought to include a business card with my monthly payments. What a great idea. Of course, this only works if you are sending your payment to local companies.

Now, if I were looking for a home I'd like to think I would choose them. How many of you use this type of advertisement? What is your response like?

**Reg Esteban** · 07-09-2008, 08:01 PM

Originally Posted by Home-Flip.com

I know I am not the only person looking for cheap and easy ways to advertise so I thought would share this with you.

...

Now, if I were looking for a home I'd like to think I would choose them. How many of you use this type of advertisement? What is your response like?

I too would like to hear from other people about this.

Btw, you can get 250 free business cards from vistaprint.com. A friend of mine started with those and started generating business in Internet marketing.

**Texas_** · 07-14-2008, 08:39 PM

I think business cards can be a great form of advertising, if used properly.

But there is a catch. Passive business card advertising is a favorite pastime of shy salespeople who don't want to shake hands with strangers or pick up the phone. It's pretty easy to walk around the shopping center and tack business cards up on every bulletin board in sight. Which is why when I walk into my local dry cleaner, there are several hundred business cards tacked on the bulletin board advertising everything from real estate to horseback riding lessons to tutoring to how to get rich quick schemes. Will I put my business card up there for the heck of it? Sure. Do I view that as a productive exposure? Not really.

The BEST way to use a business card is to hand it to someone who you've just talked to about their dream of buying a home. I just chatted with a local cop at the Seven Eleven tonight and now my business card is in his pocket. So I'm more to him than just a card on a bulletin board... I'm a real guy that he's had a conversation with.

One more point. If you are a Realtor, working in a professional office, selling people the major investment of their life, it helps to invest a little money in quality business cards. If I meet any professional who's printed their card on their home inkjet using perforated tear sheets... it goes right into the circular filing cabinet.

**wchua24** · 07-15-2008, 05:15 AM

hey there thanks for sharing this wonderful idea...this is good yet a simple way to be know...now im sure that the old stuff still makes a good marketing strategies...

**Reg Esteban** · 07-15-2008, 03:08 PM

..don't forget to print on the back of your card. People put cards in their wallets all the time.

**jenny0420** · 07-16-2008, 02:18 AM

business cards are the traditional way of marketing and definately I always do get a call back from 1 out 20 handouts at some point...
only issue with me is that my friend is making a lot of flips these days
and he advised me that he was promoting through online..

I'm in the midst of finding what he does.. so perhaps I'll update here
some other time. I'm trying to create a website and talking to agencies
but they are rather costly...!...$3000-5000.. who has strong portfolio
so I'm not sure if I really want to spend that much..

any idea?

**sconyers** · 07-17-2008, 06:46 AM

I would suggest starting a blog. You can get one for free at wordpress.com and start posting your new listings, updates, events, open houses, whatever. You can even see if your name as a domain is available and buy it to direct to the free blog you set up for very little cost. (less than $25/year) Then submit your blog to search engines and include your web site on all of your biz cards, signs, advertising. HOpe that helps.

**SydneyAgent** · 07-27-2008, 11:45 PM

Sometimes the simple ideas are the best and business cards are the best value for money for printing and distribution. We also put the local community groups we support on the back so people can see we support the community we do business with.

**RE_Marketer** · 07-31-2008, 11:38 AM

The only thing I would be very careful of is spamming using business cards.

Think about when you get an unsolicited email from people you don't know for something you're not interested in.

Well... it's the same way with just sticking a business card in bills and leaving them in places that you wouldn't expect them. It's just not relevant. At that point it truly is a numbers game, there are more efficient means of using them.

As someone said before, use them to meet people. Get infromation find out what they like and what they want. It's easy to go up to people just to meet them. You'd be better off doing it that way.

**hmilesjr** · 08-23-2008, 06:59 PM

I have heard many agents speak of dropping a card with a tip to anyone that provided a service to them. People like gas attendants, food servers, etc. I also read in another forum where a guy from Columbia would put his card on a 2oz bag of free Columbian coffee and give out to people.